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Linux Sales Down, But...

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the who-pays-for-a-distro-anyway dept.

An anonymous reader writes " News.com has a story about combined Linux revenues reaching $80 million for 2001. "The Linux operating system market, from a revenue perspective, accounts for one half of 1 percent of the total operating system revenue each year, or roughly two days' worth of Microsoft's operating system revenue," [IDC Analyst] Gillen said. "On the second day of January, Microsoft had generated more operating system revenue than the Linux community (will for the entire year).""

2 of 487 comments (clear)

  1. Different perspective by teetam · · Score: 5, Interesting
    When someone compares MS Windows and Linux, it should be a comparison of how many PCs have windows as OS and how many have Linux as the OS.

    It doesn't make any sense to compare the "revenues" of a priced product and a free product.

    What next? A startling revelation that people all over America are paying for HBO and Cinemax, but many are getting local networks like NBC, ABC and Fox for FREE?

    --
    All your favorite sites in one place!
  2. Upgrade extortion non-existent in Linux by dnoyeb · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Its not that Linux is free. Its more that the Microsoft flogging model of required and forced upgrades fails miserably in Linux. Anyone that successfully installs Linux and uses it for a short while will
    A. Not need to upgrade in a long time.
    B. Realize how to upgrade for free.

    [political rant mode on]
    "While experts still can assemble the required Linux components for free and create the same package that companies sell, customers will be leery of using that sort of customized software, Gillen said. "

    I like how people feel no shame in telling what customers WILL do.

    Reports like this are very usefull as an indication of what the news organization that reports them's position is. This tells me that news.com is a BigSoftware mouthpiece.
    [/political rant mode on]